Bürgermeister

The German word Burgermeister often spelled in English as Burgomaster or Burgomeister means master of the citizens.

A Burgermeister is chairman of the executive council (or cabinet) in many towns and cities in Germany. In France, the person is called a maire. In the Netherlands the person is called the burgemeester. The title is usually translated into English as Mayor, but the position of mayor is not quite the same as the Burgermeister.

Bürgermeister, is used in Germany and Austria. It was used in Switzerland until the mid-19th century. In Switzerland now various names are used instead, such as Gemeindepräsident, Stadtpräsident, Gemeindeammann, and Stadtammann.